


Common Grounds

by SheeWolf85



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Insecure Stretch, M/M, Monsters on the Surface, Multi, Reader is male, barista stretch, but kinda, coffee shop AU, instructor blue, male!reader, monster discrimination, more tags to come probably, not exactly a slow burn, not super heavy but is kinda prevalent in the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-01-25 20:18:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21362092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: You're a college student who just needs some coffee to stay awake and study after class. Your favorite coffee shop just hired a new barista, a tall skeleton monster. At first, your interest in him begins and ends with how horribly he's treated by the general public, as if he's a performing monkey. You're not gonna let that slide, no sir. In your opinion, monsters have more than earned their right to work and live without humans gawking. The more you get to know him, however, the more you realize there's something special about him beyond his affinity for terrible puns.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 18
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SansyFresh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/gifts).

> Super special thanks to SansyFresh for letting me use him as a sounding board for ideas for this fic. This would not have been written if not for you.

A windy chill brought a shiver to your body, and you huddled further into your jacket as you walked across the campus field toward the parking lot. Your last class had just gotten out, and now you were going to head over to the library to study for a few hours before you went home. Winter was coming fast; it seemed like it had just been summer a few weeks ago. 

You got into your green Honda and started it up, turning the heater on immediately. You had to remember to bring your heavier jacket tomorrow, and probably a pair of gloves.

On the way to the library, you kept to your routine and stopped by the coffee shop you always liked to grab a drink to keep awake while you studied.  _ Common Grounds _ was a terrible name for a coffee place, but it wasn’t like you could ask them to change it just because you thought it was lame. You could already smell the heavenly scent before you even reached the door. 

Once inside, you rubbed your hands together to warm them up and got in line. 

The place was busier than normal for a Tuesday in the late afternoon. There might usually be a person or two ahead of you, but today you were at least sixth in line and you couldn’t even see the baristas behind the counter.

The person in front of you turned and smiled at you. You smiled back. 

“Are you here to see him, too?” they asked. 

You raised a brow. “See who?”

They scoffed and gestured vaguely in front of them. “The new barista. He’s pretty good; gets your order right, anyway, even if he is a bit freaky.”

By the person’s description, you imagined a tall, burly man with tattoos covering his gigantic, muscular arms, one of them probably being a heart with a banner that proclaimed the wearer’s love of his mother. In your mind, said burly man was wearing a black t-shirt under a leather vest with typical fringe and was sporting a thick, heavy beard. 

After a few minutes, however, it became clear that your assumption had been very, very wrong. 

He was tall, that was for sure, but everything else about your vision vanished in a puff of smoke. 

The new barista was a skeleton monster, not a tattoo to speak of (that you could see, anyway) wearing a bright orange t-shirt under the typical apron the baristas wore. He was smiling as he spoke to the patrons in front of them, taking their order. 

In all honesty, you were really excited to see that one of your favorite places had decided to show their support of monster kind by hiring one of them. 

Monsters had been freed from the underground for several years now, and for the most part, their presence in town was pretty much accepted. Your college had been among the first businesses to hire monsters, eager to provide classes on how to interact with monsters, their history, etc. It was part of the reason that you’d chosen the college you had; you were eager to learn more about your new neighbors and how best to welcome them to life in the city. 

Not everyone was as keen to welcome them, however, and to this day there were people who treated monsters as though they were lesser. 

You realized something then, and narrowed your eyes at the back of the head of the person in front of you. They’d said the new barista was kind of freaky. How was being a monster freaky? 

It was then that you realized that several people were watching him as he made coffee, but not in a typical way they’d watch someone with a particular skill. They were watching him like he was a performing monkey. 

Your teeth ground together as you huffed out an annoyed breath. The poor guy had to have just started the day before, Sunday at the very earliest, and already he was being treated like this?

Another barista came out of the back and smiled at the skeleton. 

“Stretch, why didn’t you say it got busy? I could’ve come help you.”

Stretch? Interesting name. 

Stretch smiled as the other took her place in front of the cash register to help the next customer. 

“you were on break, amy. i can handle myself for ten minutes.”

Amy smiled amicably and continued helping her customer. 

“This is not what I ordered!” the older woman who had just taken her coffee from Stretch shouted. 

Stretch took the cup back and glanced at it, a very slight orange tint appearing on his cheekbones. 

“uh, sorry, ma’am. didn’t you want the caramel latte with two extra shots?”

She sputtered. “Well, yes, but that’s not what that is.”

“i’m sure that’s what i put in there. hey, let’s find a common ground here, and i’ll make you a new one, yeah?” he winked at her. 

“Of course you’ll make me a new one, and this time give me what I asked for.” She straightened the front of her shirt and actually stuck her chin up before she said, “and I don’t want you flirting with me again.”

You had to physically stop yourself from snorting at the idea of anyone flirting with that woman. 

But poor Stretch; you felt terrible for him as his cheekbones lit up with bright orange magic. He turned away with a nod, his shoulders hunched a bit as he tossed the wrong coffee and started a new one. 

By the time he made it back to the register, it was your turn to place your order. You stepped up to the counter and smiled. 

“welcome to common grounds, what can i get started for you?”

“I’ll warn you in advance, I’m kind of picky. Not like that other lady, but...yeah. Can I get a large latte, half vanilla and half hazelnut, one extra shot, and like a quarter cup of ice?”

“so, you want it cold?”

You shook your head. “No, I want it a regular hot latte, but just a little bit of ice. I know how weird it sounds, trust me. I can’t drink it if it’s too hot, but then I inevitably let it sit too long and it gets too cold. But with a little bit of ice, it’s perfect.”

Stretch shrugged his shoulders. “okie dokie.” He read your order back to you and asked if you wanted anything else. When you said that was all you needed, he gave you the total and you paid, then moved over to the other end of the counter to wait for the drink. 

As you usually did, you turned around and rested your back against the counter, digging your phone out of your pocket to check your emails while you waited for your drink. 

Faster than you had anticipated, Stretch called out your order, and you turned around to smile at him again. 

“Thank you so much!”

He paused for a second, his sockets widening in surprise. For a minute, you thought you’d somehow done something bad, but then his smile returned twice as bright as before. 

“you’re welcome. have a nice day, sir.”

“Call me y/n.” You held out a hand. “Sir is my grandpa.”

Stretch chuckled and introduced himself, stripping off his plastic gloves to shake your hand. His bones were cool and hard, an interesting sensation against your skin. 

Someone clearing their throat made you both look over at Amy who was helping someone at the register. The line behind them was just as long as it had been when you’d come in. 

You grimaced. “Good luck,” you said. “And don’t let the haters get to ya. You’re doing great.”

He snorted. “you haven’t even tasted that yet.”

Taking the challenge, you brought the cup to your lips and took a tentative sip. It was hot, but not scorchingly so, and you let the flavors roll over your tongue. Your eyes slipped shut; many baristas had made your drink for you over the years you’d been coming here, and for the most part they had learned how to do it right. You’d never tasted it done right on a barista’s first time. Stretch was now the exception. 

“Perfect,” you said, opening your eyes. Stretch’s cheekbones were glowing again. “Like I said, you’re doing great.”

You said your goodbyes and left the shop, holding the hot cup between your hands as you shivered your way to your car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! It's another chapter! How did that happen? 
> 
> IDK, but I hope you like it!

On your way to the coffeehouse the next day, you wondered if you would see Stretch again. You smiled at the brightly lit sign, remembering how he’d used the name of the place in a pun when trying to placate the old woman yesterday. 

_Common Grounds_ was a terrible name, and you would stand by that statement until the day you died. Sure, it was a clever pun, but what kind of coffeehouse wanted to advertise that their wares were anything but amazing and satisfying? People didn’t go to a coffeehouse for common, run-of-the-mill coffee; they went to get something delicious they couldn’t make easily at home or get from a gas station for a fraction of the price. 

It was true that you could usually get your drink at the gas station down the road. You’d been doing that for years before a friend of yours had urged you to try the coffeehouse. Theirs tasted so much better and was actually worth the extra cost, which kept you coming back.

Not to mention you had a punch card that got you a free coffee every tenth purchase. 

The parking lot was packed when you pulled in, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was because Stretch was in and the masses wanted to see him perform. You scowled at the thought and got out of your car, huddling into your coat for the short walk to the door. 

Inside, you were almost surprised by the amount of people there. Sure, there’d been a lot of cars, but most of them had to have carpooled, because the place was packed. 

Some were sitting at tables, some standing around by the wall, even some hanging around the counters, but it was clear that the majority of people in the building were outright staring at Stretch as he worked. 

He didn’t look very good today. He looked so tired. His sockets had noticeably dark circles under them and, while you had nothing to judge by, you could almost swear that his grin looked fake like he was doing his best to keep it plastered there.

What the hell? He wasn’t the first monster to get a public job. He wasn’t even the first skeleton to do that. You’d taken a few classes from a very sweet yet stern skeleton professor, and he was a joy to work with. 

From the way people were reacting to Stretch, one would think he was the first monster anyone had actually seen. It was disgusting. 

Instead of waiting in line, you pushed your way up to the counter where Emily, another of the baristas, was currently making a drink. 

“Hey, Em, where’s Todd?”

Todd was the manager, and you really wanted to talk to him about how Stretch was being treated. 

“Probably out back smoking. Everything okay?”

You didn’t want to say anything out loud, so you just jerked your head in the direction of all the people gawking. She nodded, and you went out to see if you could find Todd. 

You found him outside by the dumpster. He turned to you and smiled. He was a nice man, certainly seemed to put his business over people most of the time, but when it came down to it you knew he did care. 

“Hey, Todd,” you called out, huddling in your coat. 

Todd raised his half-smoked cigarette in greeting. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you.”

His smile faded. “Is it about my new employee?”

His gruff, almost protective-sounding tone was a good sign. 

“Only sort of. I’m actually more concerned about the crowds watching him like he’s some kind of circus attraction.”

Todd sighed, his stance relaxing. “Yeah, he only started on Monday and it seems like half of Ebott is here every day to see him. Don’t get me wrong, sales are skyrocketing, but he doesn’t deserve that. I’m hoping it’ll fade away after people get used to him.”

You rolled your eyes. “People have been used to monsters being around for well over a year now, Todd. Please tell me you’re planning to do something other than just wait it out. You’re right, he doesn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”

He took a heady puff of his cigarette, the tip burning bright red. His breath exhaled in a cloud of smoke and steam as he spoke. 

“What would you have me do? Tell people they can’t come into my store to get coffee?”

“Well, I mean, you could ask the monster embassy for help? I’m sure they had to deal with this a lot when monsters were first getting jobs out here. Or, maybe you could not worry too much about losing business and tell people they can’t come in if they’re going to treat your employees like they belong in a freak show.” 

Someone clearing their throat made both you and Todd turn around. Stretch was standing behind you in an oversized orange hoodie. His skull seemed flushed, but whether it was from the cold or what he’d heard, you didn’t know. 

“Hey, Stretch,” Todd called out. “Break time?”

“heh...yeah. i can, uh, go smoke somewhere else?” He gestured behind him and took a step back. 

“No, stay,” you said hurriedly. “It’s no bother at all.”

Just then, Todd dropped his cigarette butt and smashed it with the toe of his shoe. “It’s time I get back in there. I’ll see you both later.” He bent to pick up the smashed butt and tossed it into the dumpster before heading back in through the side door. 

You sighed and turned to Stretch just he lit up a cigarette. As he exhaled the smoke, you realized that you had half expected it to come through his ribs or something. 

“you don’t think i should be gawked at, huh?” he asked, something oddly sharp in his voice. 

You looked up at him and shook your head. “No, I don’t think anyone should.”

“hmm.” He took another drag, and you watched closely to see where the smoke went. “maybe you should stop then.”

You blinked and realized he was right. You had just been staring at him as if you had any right whatsoever to knowledge of how his body worked. 

With a deep sigh, you closed your eyes and put a hand over them. “I am so sorry! Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?”

“curiosity is a deadly disease, y’know.”

You groaned and put your hand down, determined not to stare this time. “Yeah, but that was really rude of me. I am sorry.”

Stretch waved a bony hand at you. “don’t worry ‘bout it, kid. but hey, seriously?”

You nodded, waiting to see what he had to say. 

“don’t get me fired. please? i might’ve applied out of manic boredom, but i kinda like it here. i mean, i like having something to do, y’know? some way to help out.”

“I wasn’t trying to get you fired,” you gasped, horrified. “I wanted to help. I can’t imagine how awful it is to have people watching you like that all the time, like you’re some kind of performing monkey.”

He nodded, taking another drag off his cigarette. “no, you probably can’t. you’re not the only one who sees it, though. amy and em, they watch out for me.”

That was good to know. Amy and Emily had both been baristas there for as long as you’d been getting your coffee there and were both as sweet as could be. They were best friends, both married to good men, mothers of two children each, and worked at the coffee shop to supplement their household income. 

There were a few other baristas, of course, but most of them wanted a job while they went to college and then moved on after they’d finished their degree. You had to wonder what Stretch’s story was. 

It probably wasn’t appropriate to ask yet. 

“I’m glad they do,” you said with a nod. “Anyway, I need to get some coffee and go study. It was nice talking to you.”

Stretch nodded and waved at you with the hand holding his cigarette. 

You went back inside and waited in line. By the time you made it up to the register, Stretch was back inside. He was helping someone else, and you smiled at Em as she asked if you wanted your regular. You nodded and handed her your punch card. 

“Hey, can’t beat that,” she said happily as she punched out the last hole. “Free coffee, for the win. I’ll have that right up.”

You nodded happily and went to stand near the counter. When one of the other patrons held up their phone like they were trying to take a picture or record Stretch just doing his job, you slid down a little bit to be right in their path and smiled like you were their intended target all along. They scowled at you and tried to move, but you just moved with them. 

Eventually, they gave up and left. Either they hadn’t ordered any coffee or they’d only wanted something for the chance to get video of a skeleton making it. Either way, you were proud of yourself for stopping at least one gawker. 

Your name was called then, and you thanked Em for your coffee before heading back to your car. One way or another, you’d made it your mission to get people to leave Stretch alone to do his job. Yeah, it was really cool that a monster was working there, but that didn’t mean people had to show up just to shove a camera in his face. Or behind his back. 

You sucked in a deep breath and decided that you would talk with him again tomorrow. You’d ask him how he felt about you tossing yourself into the situation. If he was cool with it, then you’d help. If he wanted you to butt out and just leave him alone, that you’d do that. 

You found yourself hoping that he’d give you a chance.


End file.
